Visit Nara

This organic vegetarian restaurant has a great reputation; customers regularly drive from Osaka for lunch. The family used to run a ryokan in the area, but as their parents were getting older, the children decided to focus on macrobiotic cooking. The rice is cooked in the traditional way, in large red ceramic kamado cookers, and they are obsessive about the quality of every ingredient. The lunch course is very good value and includes ten or more small dishes with rice and dessert at under 700 calories. The restaurant was built seven years ago in a modern Japanese farmhouse style; with just four large tables, bookings are recommended, especially for dinner. It’s an easy walk from Horyuji Temple.